Summary: We have upheld this complaint about how the Council dealt with Mr Y’s housing application, but we will not investigate this further because the Council has resolved the complaint early by providing a proportionate remedy for the injustice caused to Mr Y.

The complaint

1. Mr Y complains about the Council’s decision to reject his application to join its housing register.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. It is our decision whether to start, and when to end an investigation into something the law allows us to investigate. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 24A(6) and 34B(8), as amended)
3. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word fault to refer to these. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions an organisation has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by Mr Y and the Council.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. Mr Y applied to the Council to join its housing register. The Council rejected his application in May 2025, stating he did not qualify to join. Mr Y requested a review of this decision. He had a right to do this. The Council maintained its decision, and Mr Y later appealed this. The Council says it should have considered Mr Y’s appeal in January 2026, but it didn’t. It confirmed it received supporting documentation from Mr Y in September 2025, but it did not properly review this.
7. To its credit, the Council acknowledged its error. In May 2026 it reviewed Mr Y’s application and confirmed he did qualify to join the housing register. It awarded Mr Y the correct priority for his circumstances and applied this to his application from January 2026.
8. If we investigated this complaint further, it is likely we would find the Council at fault. This is because it did not consider Mr Y’s application properly and caused Mr Y significant injustice in being unable to join the housing register. However, because the Council has now reviewed this and awarded Mr Y priority from January 2026, when his application should have been considered, I am satisfied the Council has provided a proportionate remedy for the injustice caused. Mr Y says the issue has been resolved, now that he has been able to join the housing register.

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Final decision

9. We have upheld this complaint, however, will not investigate it further because the Council has provided a proportionate remedy for the injustice caused to Mr Y.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman